Dietary clove (Syzygium aromaticum) powder enhanced broiler chicken growth performance, carcass characteristics, nutrient digestibility, gut histomorphometry and health-associated whilst decreasing pathogenic microbiota

Abstract This study investigated effects of dietary clove powder on growth performance, carcass traits, nutrient digestibility, jejunal histomorphometry and ileal health-associated as well as pathogenic microbiota populations in broiler chickens. A total of 250 Chikun strain day-old broiler chicks were randomly assigned to 5 dietary groups with 5 replicates of 10 birds each for 8 weeks in a completely randomized design. The groups were fed diets containing clove bud powder at 0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and 2 g/kg diet (coded as CLO0, CLO5, CLO10, CLO15, and CLO20). Results showed dietary clove supplementation linearly increased ( P < 0.001) slaughter weight and body weight gain whilst it quadratically increased total feed intake ( P < 0.001) in boilers. Also, whilst there was no effect of diet ( P > 0.05) on dressed weight and wing weight, dietary clove powder quadratically increased weights of live chickens at slaughter ( P < 0.001), breast meat ( P < 0.001), back cut ( P < 0.001), and shank ( P < 0.01), as well as the drumstick/thigh ratio ( P < 0.001). Further, it linearly increased apparent digestibility of DM ( P < 0.001), CP ( P < 0.001), and EE ( P < 0.01) as it quadratically increased CF ( P < 0.01). Furthermore, it quadratically increased jejunal villus length ( P < 0.05) and thickness of epithelium ( P < 0.001) whilst it linearly increased crypt depth ( P < 0.01) and thickness of muscularis ( P < 0.001). Moreover, it increased ileal Lactobacilli ( P < 0.05) whilst decreasing Salmonella ( P < 0.05) and E. coli ( P < 0.05) bacterial species. In conclusion, dietary clove powder improved growth performance, carcass characteristics, nutrient digestibility, gut histomorphometry and Lactobacilli while it decreased Salmonella and E. coli bacteria. It can be included in broiler diets at 1.0 to 1.5 g per kg diet without adverse effects.